10/1/07
The Garry Betty Scholars Program pays for international researchers to come to U-M for training in adrenal cancer research
The first two Garry Betty Scholars have begun their tenure in the University of Michigan Adrenal Cancer Program.
Tobias Else, M.D. received his medical training at the University Hospital Hamburg,Germany and the Leopold Franzens University of Innsbruck, Austria. He then specialized in Endocrinology/Internal Medicine with a main focus on diseases of the adrenal gland. During his doctoral thesis and early post-doctoral work, Dr Else investigated the mechanisms of adrenocortical cell growth control. As such Tobias has been able to more forward quite rapidly in his studies. As a Garry Betty Scholar, Dr. Else is researching the role of genomic maintenance and genomic stability in adrenocortical cancer.
In 2 high profile papers, Tobias has examined how the adrenocortical dysplasia (acd/tpp1) gene, cloned in the Hammer lab, regulates and protects the ends of chromosomes (called the telomere) - thereby protecting them from mutations that can cause cancer. Two additional papers are already on the way, His current studies utilize a mouse with genetic mutation in both acd/tpp1 gene and another classic adrenal cancer gene (P53). This *double* mutant mouse is the first model of dysfunctional telomere induced tumorigenesis. This is an incredible contribution that is sure to receive attenetion from the scientific community and generate novel hypothesis for future targeted therapy for this disease.
Else, T, Theisen, BK, Hutz, JE, Keegan, CE, Hammer, GD and Ferguson DO.
Tpp1/Acd maintains genomic instability through a complex role in telomere protection. (In Press Chromosome Research)
Hockemeyer, D., Else, T., Daniels, J.-P., Palm, W., Ye, J.Z.-S., deLange, T., and Hammer, G.D. Cooperative telomere protection provides evidence for correspondence of POT1/TPP1 to ciliate TEBP*/*. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology 14(8): 754-61 (2007)
A major grant proposal to support continued studies on this project will be submitted to NIH on next year.
Alessia Trovato, studied Medicine at Europe's prestigious University of Padua, Italy and Charith in Berlin, Germany. She received her basic scientific training in the laboratory of Franco Mantero, M.D., one of the world's leading scientists in adrenal cancer research. Through the generous support of the Garry Betty Foundation she is researching uniquely expressed genes in adrenal cancer that can be used as molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in the disease.
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